THE BNR BUILDING STILL STANDS

     Bruised and bullied but still standing after 110 years. That's our Boone News Republican building at 812 Keeler Street.

     Folks have been wondering, because, basically, its been vacant since 2004, ignored and unloved these last 18 years, except for brief ownership in 2017 by a group hoping to establish a new Elks Club in Boone.

    But now, Sani Tadic, a fellow wearing a white hat, has come to the rescue with an optimism fueled by the fact that, "it (the building) has good bones." The price was right, just $25,000, and, obviously, absence time has not served this historical building well. There's work to be done but, representing Alfas Properties of West Des Moines, Tadic feels he can make needed repairs inside and outside to retain its landmark value AND provide four one-bedroom apartments upstairs and a pair of ground level commercial space units. He's hoping his dream can all be completed by the fall of 2023.

    Long time residents are still upset that the old post office building, northwest corner of Eighth and Arden, was leveled. Thanks to someone, what people still call the Citizen's Bank building, the Masonic building and a few other "older" structures, as well as the BNR building, have been retained.

    Richard Longworth and Morris Kelley, both BHS-53, have memories of working in that 812 Keeler building and, in future editions, will recall some of them.

    In the meantime, the Boone County Advocate, which was published in Boonesboro in 1865, gets credit for being the earliest such publication in this community. Things were so good, that weekly newspaper was changed to a daily paper in 1896.

    Another milestone was recently passed. It was on October 1, of either 1906 or 1907 (?) when another pair of early papers, the Boone Daily News and the Weekly Republican, were merged into the Boone News Republican.

    After the Goldthwaite family operated the paper for a long time.....S.G. Goldthwaite first, followed by daughter Mary Goldthwaite Garvey, a husband/wife team of Bob and Jeannine Schaub took possession. They both put their heart and soul as well as, probably, too many personal financial assets in it, to keep it operational. Stephens Media eventually bought the paper in 2015 and they merged with the current newspaper giant, Gannett,, in 2019. 

    By now, we all know that the Boone News Republican, as well as almost all other central Iowa papers, are guided by Gannett.

    So, as for the moment, the Boone News Republican, now compiled and printed at a different location, and its longtime stomping grounds at 812 Keeler are still in vogue. It appears the old building, itself, will continue to escape demolition BUT the printed BNR faces an unknown future. The daily designation has long disappeared and its now a weekly and, although the Boone News Republican masthead still appears each Thursday, any real Boone news is very limited. Someday, perhaps soon, the BNR may dissolve into just the NR and, truthfully, that would probably be a more honest portrayal of the current situation.

K-----K

     Worldwide Korner headquarters are located at 928 South Jackson, Boone, Iowa 50036-4932. Phone number is 515-432-1530. Leave a message. To email your memories/stories/comments/death notices......

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